Damaged water pipes is a common problem in areas where houses or cottages remain unoccupied over the cold winter months. Water that sits in the pipes tends to freeze and expand to the point where the pipes become cracked and sometimes burst.
A solution to this problem is provided by draining the water from the water pipes before the house or cottage is closed for the winter. This is typically accomplished by first disconnecting the external supply of water to the building and then opening all faucets in the building to allow gravity to empty the water from the pipes. In many houses however, and in particular in older houses, the pipes have bends and dips that are located along generally horizontal sections where the water settles and does not drain out gravitationally. In such cases, the problem of damaged water pipes remains.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for draining water pipes that sufficiently drains water from all sections of the pipes including any bends and dips located along horizontal sections.